Damien Berry Finds A Home At Rb

October 20, 2009|Posted by Shandel Richardson on October 20, 2009 09:21 AM

CORAL GABLES — Junior running back Damien Berry is far from the quotable player I covered when he was a high school standout at Suncoast and Glades Central.

As a journalist, you couldn't help but want to talk to Berry because he was willing to say anything. Nowadays, as with most athletes when they get to college, Berry has tamed things. He's a little less candid and more serious. High school is fun. College is big business.

So it's why Berry has morphed into that RB who always credits the offensive line. Every time. If you ask Berry why he barreled over a defender, he'll somehow find a way to say it was because of Jason Fox and Orlando Franklin.

Even before he met with reporters, he was joking with Fox about giving him all the credit.

He may have not be as outgoing with the media as before, but Berry has found a home at RB with the Hurricanes. He's the second-leading rusher with 222 yards and two touchdowns. Granted, his production has come against FAMU and UCF, the Hurricanes have found a reliable option should Graig Cooper or Javarris James suffer an injury.

"I've been just patiently waiting," Berry said. "My teammates just tell me to keep going. Once I got the opportunity, I'm not trying to let it go. I'm trying to do the best I can every game."

Berry now admits moving from SS to RB was the right move. He made the change after his freshman season, but now it's finally starting to pay off. Many, including myself, questioned the move because Berry was such an outstanding safety in high school.

"Coming out of high school, I thought I was Ed Reed mixed with Sean Taylor," Berry said.

And what changed?

"I'm a physical player and if it's going to help the team, then that's what I'm going to do," Berry said.

A few thoughts:

--Safety Randy Phillips is expected to play Saturday against Clemson. I know I reported he was supposed to play last week, he didn't because of the flu. Phillips said he will postpone shoulder surgery until after the season, so he can return.

-Guard Joel Figueroa practiced Tuesday and is expected to play. Without him, the Hurricanes played just five linemen last week. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said he is still waiting for the younger guys to mature, but did say Ben Jones had an excellent practice.

-RB Graig Cooper is out of his green no-contact jersey, so expect him to play more Saturday.